The last two shows of the MSG '90 run were still being talked about in the lots for months afterward, as standouts from late '90 (along with 9/8). Even if this show can't wholly stand up to the incredible following night, it's worth collecting for fans of the dual-keys era, and one of the top five late '90 shows. It has been mostly known for the unique Let it Grow jam.

First Set. The solid set starts with Jack Straw whipping out of the gate, already warmed up from the run, with the new members on vox. Bertha has [audible] contributions from all band members. Jer is playing great but it's otherwise a bit rough, and Vince hasn't gelled yet. By Me & My Uncle, it's clear that Jer is definitely ON with his playing, and when that's the tight spot it's usually a decent set. And Phil - well, Phil is amazing this whole run; and dig the on-a-dime segue into a fine Big River: I recognize Hornsby's input more today than I did at the time. Check how he takes a few bars then passes some headroom to Vince (@3:15-3:20). Stuck Inside Mobile has too much organ in the mix (like most of this run), but an uptempo rendition tempers the verbosity endurance. A superb Help>Slip>Franklin's crackles and pops synapses, and if there's a better '90 Slipknot!, I can't recall it OTTOMH! Solid set.

Second Set. The opening sandwich looks good on paper, but it takes half of the 2nd Set to get the 1st Set energy back, with Bobby-flubs and flat Vince. Luckily, since it's a 107min set, it's not like they wrap up and bow out; no, they work it back into shape. Even in average versions Jer is having a great show. Hornsby adds sparks on Let it Grow and, propelled by powerful Phil-driven searching and Jer-coloring, they let it grow until it spreads for light. It then becomes a unique jam with several exploratory partitions - some with Jer bouncing off Vince. After more than a half hour of LiG>Drums>Space, by the time an uptempo version of GDtRFB appears, the reality snapback must have seemed like a new concert to the punters. Phil loved witnessing the jam out of Let it Grow so much that he described it in retrospect and put it on the disc that came with his book (he titled it "Trio Jam"). Phil: "When Bruce joined for the '90 Fall tour, he came up with a really neat idea. He suggested that sometime during the show we break the band down into little sub-groups/trios and jam out with a smaller contingent and see where it would take us. So we tried to do that throughout Bruce's tenure and this jam here, from 1990, is a pristine example of what Bruce's idea was and how it worked out. It's mostly Bruce & Jerry, and Bob is backing them up, in essence, with some color, chords, and glad little cries from his guitar. It's really a neat little structure that happens. Bruce and Jerry start off with a quiet 'filigree' and fade it down - and it comes back up and there's some shadowy byways into some light-drenched landscapes. And it ends up in a New Orleans parade stomp - just sort of keeps going & going, and they just keep tossing things around. About 8min 30sec into it they start trading licks hot and heavy and about a minute later you'll hear a brief structural thing surface, as opposed to the jam on a tonic, that you were hearing before, and then that fades down into Drums." The section he's referencing is :40-10:35 on Road Trips 2-1 OR :30-10:25 of "Jam" on the Miller source. Drums is a classic arena melter and the rest is above average with meaningful Jer in Stella and a tight encore to send them into Midtown.

1st Set:  B
2nd Set: C+
Overall: 3½ stars

Highlights:
Help on the Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower - a '90 best
Let it Grow - everybody electric and into a unique jam concentrated
Drums - one of those melty, frightening explorations

SOURCES: The miller_85003 is the cleanest (seems SBDs from this run are Healy board-matrices) but sources run a little fast on the first set, needing -1% pitch correction. Vince is too high in the mix and Bobby is gone/low in places, but a check of the AUDS suggests that front-of-house was the same. Road Trip vol 2 #1 has the lesser, first half of the second set - probably to feature/add context to the Let it Grow jam - but doesn't include the superior 1st set, nor is it necessarily the better source (and it fades-out the last two minutes before Drums). The Searching for the Sound disc has an excerpt of Let it Grow, with most of the jam. The show is usually up on YouTube.

I sang a little while and then flew on.

Because you can't listen to it here but this is my one and only show I snuck into unpaid. But I did indeed work hard to do it myself and 3 others climbed the scaffolding one the side as they were re-doing the arena that year. we werte so high up both ways we looked down and folks looked like ants . we banged on the door someone opened it we ran in and the guy was looking out to see how high we were. Not a story for my grandkids but then again us and them like apples and oranges. Ramblin sorry IMO easily best show of the Fall.

this is a pretty good show. sounds pretty good for having two new members in the group. every show from this run has some pretty good moments